John stevens



s TEvENsfSL JOHNSON;

Gas Tip. n

No. 25,591. Patentedvseptp2z1859.

2722? wares f 55.5. MQ h JOI-IN STEVENS AND JOHN JGHNSON, OF NEV YORK,N. Y.

CONSTRUCTION OF GAS-BURNERSL Specification of Letters Patent No. 25,591,dated September 27,185.9..

ToaZZ 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOI-1N STEVENS and JOI-IN JOHNSON, both of' thecity., county and State of New York7 andi composing tlie firm of JoH-NSTEVENS AND Co., have invented a certain new and Improved Gras Tip orBurner; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,and exact descriptionA `of the construction and operation of the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference denoted thereomn which Figure l is a perspective view of theburner as adjusted to burn a medium quantity of gas. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation as adjusted to burn the largest. quantity. Fig. 3 is anelevation at right angles to the last showing the burner as adjusted toburn the smallest quantity. Fig. 4L is a corresponding elevation showingthe burner adjusted as in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is a section showing theconstruction on a larger scale.

Similar letters of reference4 indicate corresponding parts in all thedrawings.

In all burners heretofore known the area of the openings through whichthe gas has been ejected into the atmosphere has been incapable of beingchanged at will and the only means of regulating the flow of the gas.has consequently laid in diminishing the pressure below that in thestreet mains.

Most burners are or may be so constructed as to produce the greatestpossible amount of light from a given quantity of gas; But with allburners heretofore known this could only obtain with a certain pressureof the gas. A burner could be constructed to burn four feet per hourunder a certain pressure with its maximum effect andV another ofdifferent proportions be made to burn a smaller quantity with verynearly aV proportional effect, but if the same burner originallyconstructed to burn four feet be made to serve in burning three feet or,two feet per hour by simply subjectingit to a diminished pressure so!that the gas issues slower fromV the same orifices the quantity of lightthereby produced is not equal to that produced in the burner adaptedtherefor but is very sensibly less. If the reduction of pressure becarried still further the Velocity of the exit of the gas being stillfurther reduced the consumption of the original four feet burner willlbe diminished to a small amount but the flame becomes red and smoky andfinally pale and bluish. and

the light produced becomes almost inappreciable.

The nature of our inventionv consists in combining with two opposingapertures a movable slide in such manner that the area for the escapeof. the gas into the atmosphere from the joint apertures is controlledbythe movement of the slide without substantially changing the characterof the fiame thereby enabling us toburn large or small quantities in thesame burner and obtain therefromithe maximum luminous ei'ect of each4quantity.

VThe nature of our invention alsoconsists in connection with the above,in so arranging two hollow branches in which. the apertures abovedesignatedare made that they press'by their elasticity against theopposite sides of the adjust-able slide and. thus take up the wear ofthe rubbing surfaces.

To` enable others skilled in the art tomake and use our invention wewill proceed to de scribe it by the aid of thev drawings.

A is a hollow tube tapped in the ordinary manner Vto secure it tightlyupon the eX- tremity of thegas pipe.

B B are curved branches,A both hollow, and connected to A. asrepresented. Their upper extremities oppose each.` other face to face asdistinctly shown in Fig.V 2. The branches B B. are so constructed thatwhen unconstrained their upper and open ends stand very near or in4absolute contact each with the other7 but are so thin and long that theyare capable of' yielding by their elasticity and of standingY apart` asrepresented'.

TheV upper extremity of A is very greatly reduced in diameter above thepoint where the branches B B are YConnected7` forming a slender rod orwire extending upward a-l little distance, On this projectiomdesignateed as a, is loosely fitted a sleeve c, so that c is free toslide on a.. Rectangular notches are formed in the sides of c asrepresented and its top is Split to receive the thin plate p C, which issecured therein by the small pin as represented. The plate Cconsequently is compelled to move up or down as the sleeve c is moved.

The plate C extends upward from c and its upper edge lies between theopposingV extremities of B and B, being pressed against thereby. Thenthe sleeve 0 is elevated the plate C stands so high as nearly to reach`the upper edges of the aperture in the ends of each, but when it isdepressedV to the greatest extent its upper edge almost escapes from(MIM between B B. The narrow orifice or slot between B and B is theaperture through which the gas escapes into the atmosphere to be burned.Its length and consequently its area is increased as C is depressed anddiminished as C is elevated.

A. wire d extends across B B and is supported in suitable bearingsthereon as represented. It is free to turn in these bearings and itsoverhanging extremity cl is bent down and provided with a covering ofwood or some other good non-conductor of heat, by the aid of which itmay be turned at pleasure. Two arms D D are fixed on this wire d andextend into the notches in the sides of the sleeve c so that as Z isturned the arms D D are elevated or depressed and a corresponding motionis imparted to c and C. It follows that the position of C andconsequently the length of the opening for the escape of gas between Band B is controlled at pleasure by moving the extremity cl of the wired.

The plate C may, for burning gas, be very thin and consequently theopening for the escape of the gas will be very narrow, being about equalin width to those in what are known as the bat-wing burners. For burningdense vapors, as benzole, etc., the thickness must be greater. fe soproportion the parts that when the slide C is near its lowest positionthe form of the jet of flame is very nearly that of the bat-wing andthat as the slide C is gradually raised the jet becomes narrower and theconsumption of gas is diminished, but the Velocity of the particlesejected is as great when a small quantity is burned as when the slide isdepressed and a larger quantity is consumed. The light produced isconsequently very nearly proportional to the quantity of gas consumed.The flame is always of the same character with regard to itslight-producing qualities. When the slide C is depressed the flamecovers a great area-as shown by the dotted lines M M etc. whichrepresent the outline of the jet from the open burner Fig. 4-and whenthe slide C is elevated the flame is smaller as shown by the stronglines m m etc-but the gas in the small jet Fig. 3 is moving as rapidlyas in the larger et, and the character or quality of the two flames isalike.

l/Ve propose always to use a cock of some ordinary character or some ofthe other well known devices for shutting off the gas from our burner atwill. 7e prefer always to shut such cock or equivalent when the light isto be extinguished entirely, instead of depending on the tightness ofthe joints at the sides of B and B. Therefore we do not consider itnecessary to give such a range to our slide C as will enable it tocompletely stop the apertures, though this can readily be done ifdesired. Another and very important use of a 'cock or equivalent thuscon` nectedy is to reduce the pressure when it is greater than isdesired and thus to allow it always to issue at the proper velocity toproduce the maximum light.

It may be proper here to explain that it is generally known that gascannot by any means yet discovered be burned with precisely as mucheffect in a very small quantity as in a larger one. 7e do not assert'that our burner allows us to do this. We have not intended to describeit as able to do so. Four feet of gas per hour is believed to invariablyproduce more light when burned in a single four feet burner than in twoof the best two feet burners, but thev difference is moderate providedthe two sizes of burners are properly proportioned and the pressure beas great or a little greater on the smaller burners. Our burner may notmake the burning of one foot give half as much light as the burning oftwo feet, but makes the burning of one foot in a large burner give asmuch light as the burning of an equal quantity in a burner spe ciallyconstructed for that quantity, and also makes the burning of five feetor three feet in the same burner give as much light as the burning ofthose quantities in specially constructed five feet or three feetburners.

If in any instance it is desired to use the very smallest possiblequantity of gas in our burner the slide C must be elevated until theaperture is very greatly contracted. By this means a smaller amount maybe burned than is possible when the burner orifice is allowed to remainopen as usual.

If-as may be generally expedient-it is desired that the pressure shallnot remain uniform in our burner when the area of the slot is -increasedand diminished but that it shall vary in the opposite manner to thatusually found, viz., that the pressure shall be greatest in burning avery small quantity, it is simply necessary to make a suitablecontraction in the pipe or to set the cock partially open. In such casethe rapid flow attendant on the burning of a large quantity will bechoked or throttled at that point and the gas will arrive at the burnerat a comparatively low pressure while the flow of the smaller quantitywill be so gentle as to pass through the contraction in the pipe orthrough the half Open cock without sensible diminution of pressure.Thiscondition will always obtain to a greater or less degree in the useof our burners with gas pipes as generally fitted up. Thus worked thegas will issue through our burner with a greater velocity as the slideis elevated making the llame somewhat longer or at least of equal lengthas its breadth is diminished.

Vhen the gas is allowed to reach the burner freely the flame from ourburner amer Whether large or small is steady and unwavering in whichrespect our invention is greatly superior to the burners in common use.The form of the flame depends much on the form of the plate or slide. lehave represented t-his slide as circular and the flame as that of acommon bat-wing or nearly so but by giving a different form to the upperedge of C the iiamemay be varied to suit any purpose or taste. le havealso represented the branches B B as uniformly curved and as circular insection but they may be made in other forms in both these respectswithout changing the eect materially or by modifying the contour at theends where they are presented each to the other a still furtherdiversity may be produced in the form of the iame. If one aperture B beof a' different form from B or fails to correspond in area and positionthe jet will be contorted and warped instead of plane and this must beguarded against if a plane form of jet is required.

It is obvious that an infinite variety of devices may be substituted forthe parts D (l, to give motion to the plate C without affecting thecharacter of the invention. Among these devices are screws which give anequal movement of C for each turn, whether C be near its -highest or itslowest position, and cams so shaped as to increase or diminish the areaof the openings equally with equal movements thereof, and again agraduated scale or arc may be attached to show approximately whatquantity is being burned.

A connection may if desired be made between the plate C and the key of acock below so that the opening and closing of the cock may give thewhole or a part of the movement of C. le have represented theprojections D and the lever d as a simple and cheap device by which toexplain the invention. Our invention is applicable to the burning of allhydro-carbon and other combustible vapors as well as to gas.

Having now fully described our invention what we claim as new thereinand desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States isl. Theapertures B B in combination with the movable slide C or its equivalent,substantially as herein described, whereby the area of the passage forthe gas or vapor is contracted at pleasure at the point of its exit intothe atmosphere and the volume of the flame is diminished withoutsubstantially changing its character.

2. W'e also claim the arrangement of the branches B B diverging from asingle pipe A and pressing by their elasticity against the oppositesides of the slide C for the JOHN STEVENS. 'JOHN JOHNSON.

litnesses THOMAS D. S'rnrsoN, VM. B. SMITH.

